Pat Weil
Patrick George “Pat” Weil (born August 25, 1933) is an American politician who served as 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as a United States Senator from Iowa from 1981 to 1993, the United States Representative from Iowa's 3rd congressional district from 1975 to 1981, and as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives for the state's 84th district from 1969 to 1975. Early life and early career Patrick George Weil was born on August 25, 1933 in Pella, Iowa to George Weil, a conservative Democratic lawyer and Mary Harken, a homemaker. He was a conservative activist during his time in high school, opposing the spread of federal power and bureaucracy, denouncing deficit spending, criticizing industrial labor unions, and excoriating most welfare programs such as the New Deal. Weil registered as a Republican in 1954 and voted for Dwight Eisenhower in the 1956 presidential election. He graduated from Iowa State University on a Navy R.O.T.C. scholarship with a degree in government and economics in 1956, and served in the United States Navy as an active-duty jet pilot from 1956 to 1961. After his military career he received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Drake University Law School in 1964 where he also served as a writer for the Drake Journal of Agricultural Law. From 1965 to 1969 he worked as a corporate attorney for well known firearms manufacturer, Smith & Wesson through its then parent company, Bangor Punta. Weil was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives for the 84th district representing his hometown in November 1968, assuming office in January 1969. He served in this capacity for three two-year terms and quickly rose to leadership positions within the chamber, becoming House Minority Whip in 1971 and House Majority Leader in 1973. He appealed largely to social conservatives but had substantial support of fiscal conservatives and business interests. Although he remains a social conservative to this day this does not mean he was not supportive of civil rights. During his tenure he also supported the then governor’s work to reduce paperwork and pushed for him to eliminate other bureaucratic elements of government including some state agencies. United States House of Representatives In 1974 Weil ran for the U.S. House seat in the 3rd District being vacated by fellow Republican, Hughe Green. He defeated Democrat, Chet Blum Sr. who was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa at the time by 54%–46%. For the only time since 1857, Iowa's congressional delegation included only one Republican. He won re-election in 1976, defeating Blum in a closer rematch. Congressman Weil was reelected a second time in 1978, defeating Democratic State Senator Gary Schwieger by a surprisingly large margin. During his tenure in the House of Representatives he was known for being a staunch deficit hawk and fiscal conservative as well as an opponent of the court decision in Roe v. Wade to allow legalized abortion nationwide. Category:Characters Category:Presidents of the United States